RECIPES: Make-ahead dishes for your holiday cocktail party
Known as a chef, author and consummate host, Alex Hitz recently released his third cookbook, “Occasions to Celebrate: Cooking and Entertaining With Style” (Rizzoli, $45).
Rooted in his childhood in Atlanta, and his family’s travels in France, Hitz’s style combines Southern and French cooking with a storied sense of hospitality.
During a phone call, Hitz talked about his early days as the chef at the Patio by the River in Atlanta, and how a return to the city of his birth sparked “Occasions to Celebrate.”
“I worked at the Patio by the River when I was in high school. In those days, you did absolutely everything, from dishwashing to the saute station and the pantry, and the front of the house,” he remembered.
“Later, I bought half the restaurant, then we sold it to Canoe. But my education was the Patio by the River, Peter Kump’s Cooking School in New York City, and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. So that’s about as Southern and French as it gets.”
In the introduction to “Occasions to Celebrate,” Hitz digs through old family photos, and savors magic moments, dining and traveling with his mother, Caroline Bryans Sauls, and his stepfather, Robert Shaw.
“I went deep into my family in the second and third books, and there seems to be an appetite for that,” he said. “People like them. I liked them. Had they not been my family, they still would be really interesting people. It was an exciting time, and an unusual time.”
Fast-forward to March 2020, and Hitz was in Atlanta, again, for “five days on business.” But he writes that he “ended up staying solidly in a hotel for most of the global pandemic, the longest period of time I had ever spent anywhere in my entire life.”
“My first book took 32 years,” Hitz noted. “My second book took six years, and this one took me a year-and-a-half. I was there. I had nothing to do, so I went to work every day, and wrote this book living at the St. Regis.”
Asked for the secret to cooking and entertaining, he didn’t hesitate.
“The biggest secret to entertaining, and being a successful host is to do everything ahead of time, make a huge effort, and then when the guests come, never stop smiling,” Hitz said. “That’s the formula. Oh, and turn the lights down, light some candles, and never run out of wine.”
RECIPES
Altogether, these recipes selected from Alex Hitz’s new cookbook “Occasions to Celebrate” make for an easy way to entertain during the holidays. You can double or triple the ingredients for bigger gatherings. Just add your favorite beer, wine or batched cocktails to ring in the season.
Artichoke Heart Skewers
“Any easier and they would make themselves,” Hitz remarked about this artichoke appetizer. There will be leftover dill vinaigrette and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Use them on salads or to marinate other vegetables. “Put it on a Reebok and it will be delicious,” joked Hitz.
Remove the artichoke hearts from the heat, let them cool slightly, thread each one on a skewer, arrange the skewers on a platter, and serve.
- 3 artichoke hearts, quartered
- 1/2 cup Essential Dill Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
- 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
- 12 skewers
- Place the quartered artichoke hearts in a large zip-top bag. Add the Essential Dill Vinaigrette and the Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette. Seal and let marinate at least 1 hour at room temperature, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
- Either grill or saute the artichoke hearts — no additional oil should be necessary — until they are just brown.
- Remove the artichoke hearts from the heat, let them cool slightly, thread each one on a skewer, arrange the skewers on a platter, and serve.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per skewer: 43 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 50 milligrams sodium.Recipes from “Occasions to Celebrate: Cooking and Entertaining With Style” by Alex Hitz (Rizzoli, $45).
Essential Dill Vinaigrette
Per tablespoon: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium.
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 9 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Colman’s dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, dill, salt and pepper, and whisk together to blend thoroughly. Add the oil slowly, whisking the vinaigrette vigorously and constantly to make an emulsion.
- Store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Whisk it before serving if it has separated.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium.Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
- 3/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, black pepper, sugar and garlic. Process the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are fully combined.
- While the food processor is still running, add the oil in droplets to make an emulsion.
- Store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Whisk it before serving if it has separated.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 95 calories (percent of calories from fat, 97), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 113 milligrams sodium.
Mary Louise’s Country Pate
Serve this easy, savory pate on toasted baguette rounds topped with cornichons and sliced mission figs.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup onion, diced very small
- 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons brandy
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 slices bacon
- Cornichons and decoratively sliced mission figs, to garnish to taste
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the foaming has subsided, add the onion and saute it until it is translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the onion from the heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground veal, salt, black pepper, allspice, thyme, brandy, minced garlic, eggs and heavy cream. Add the onion and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon, but be careful not to mix it too much or the pate will be too tough.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
- Lay the bacon in cross-hatches over the top, and bake the pate until it is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let it cool, then refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days before serving.
- When it’s time to serve, place a cutting board on top of the loaf pan, and invert the loaf pan on to the cutting board. Remove the loaf pan and parchment. Garnish the pate with cornichons and figs to taste.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 15: 185 calories (percent of calories from fat, 71), 11 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 14 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 75 milligrams cholesterol, 390 milligrams sodium.
Mini Croque-Monsieurs
“I mean, come on,” Hitz proclaimed. “They are just so addictive.”
- 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
- 2 ounces ham, diced small
- 4 slices good-quality white sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- In a small bowl, blend the cheese and ham together with a wooden spoon until they are well-combined.
- Place the pieces of bread on a work surface, and put half of the cheese mixture on 2 of the pieces of bread.
- Top the cheese-covered bread with the remaining slices of bread. Press down on the top slices of bread so the cheese mixture spreads to the edges of the bread.
- In a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the foaming has subsided, sear the sandwiches on 1 side until they are lightly golden brown.
- Remove the sandwiches from the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, put the sandwiches back in the skillet, uncooked sides down, and cook them until they are seared to the same doneness and color.
- Remove the seared sandwiches from the heat, and let them cool fully. Trim off the crusts, and cut each sandwich into 9 small squares. Reheat them at 300 degrees on a parchment-lined baking sheet when you are ready to serve.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per hors d’oeuvre: 91 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 4 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 137 milligrams sodium.
Super-Decadent Butterscotch Bourbon Blondies
Hitz recommends Maker’s Mark or Wild Turkey for this bourbon-based recipe.
- 4 sticks (1 pound) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing the pan
- 4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- Confectioners’ sugar, to garnish
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter a 9 1/2-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar on medium-low speed until coarse crumbs form.
- Turn the mixer to low, add the vanilla, bourbon, eggs and salt, and stir them together until they are just combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder, with the mixer still on low speed.
- Add the butterscotch and white chocolate chips, mix on low speed until incorporated, then turn the mixer off. Do not overmix: The glory of these is the craggy consistency they have from not being too uniformly mixed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and blam (i.e., bang) it on the counter to release any air bubbles. Put the pan in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the blondies are just done, but not dry. In other words, the magic of these blondies comes not only from not mixing them too much, but also from undercooking them.
- Remove the blondies from the oven, and let them cool completely before cutting them and serving them, or freezing them to be cut and served later. Sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per square, based on 18: 558 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 6 grams protein, 65 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 31 grams total fat (21 grams saturated), 123 milligrams cholesterol, 522 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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